H-DEFICIENT BLOOD-GROUPS (BOMBAY) OF REUNION-ISLAND

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 34  (6) , 937-947
Abstract
H-deficient individuals (42) (lacking H antigen on erythrocytes) with anti-H in their sera were found on Reunion Island. A, B and AB Bombay subjects had small but detectable amounts of A and/or B antigens on erythrocytes. All the H-deficient phenotypes tested were nonsecretors of ABH in their saliva, and 1/3 were Lewis negative. Of the 108, 53 (49%) unaffected members in the 14 Bombay pedigrees analyzed were se/se, showing that the families were selected for the nonsecretor trait, and suggesting that the Bombay probands used to select the families have se/se genotype. All the children from Bombay nonsecretor .times. unaffected nonsecretor matings were se/se. Segregation of H and Se is compatible with the genetic model proposing that Se and H are closely linked structural genes, and the analysis of the present and previously published Bombay pedigrees strongly supports this model.